1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kit including a cervical traction/stretch device which is positioned under the neck of a user lying on a flat surface and between the shoulders and the head of the user and includes an expandable, but non-elastic and non-stretchable, bellows section, as well as a shoulder section, a head frame section and a head section. A hand operated air pump with an air pressure relief valve is connected to the bellows section for manually filling the bellows section and for expanding and contracting the bellows section thereby to stretch the neck and to release a stretching force on the neck. The kit includes at least two, preferably three, interchangeable head sections for accommodating substantially all human head sizes. Further, the kit includes a triangular-in-cross-section base stand for supporting the device at a small angle to the horizontal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art cervical traction/stretch devices are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No.Patentee3,343,532Zumaglini4,058,112Johnson4,099,523Lowery4,508,109Saunders4,543,947Blackstone4,617,691Monti et al.4,702,235Hong4,771,493Park4,805,603Cumberland4,832,007Davis Jr. et al.4,850,003Huebeck et al.5,060,661Howard5,067,483Freed5,181,904Cook et al.5,243,722Gusakov5,382,226Graham5,403,266Bragg et al.5,441,781Chitwood5,454,781Chitwood5,569,176Grahm5,752,927Rogachevsky5,823,982Park5,916,185Chitwood6,289,538Fidge6,447,468Hankins et al.7,048,705Pillai7,070,573Axelsson
The most pertinent prior art patents are the Chitwood U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,441,781, 5,454,781 and 5,916,184. This application is directed to improvements to the cervical/stretch devices disclosed in these patents and to a cervical/stretch device kit including new and improved elements.